Dalton comes alive in second half to knock off Northwestern

By MIKE PLANTDaily Record Sports WriterPublished: January 26, 2013 4:00AM

WEST SALEM -- All Dalton coach Nate Stutz asked out of his team was one good run.

The way the Bulldogs' game at Northwestern was going, that's all they needed.

Following a forgettable first half for both teams, Dalton used a 10-0 spurt midway through the third quarter, snapping a tie and paving the way for a 58-48 Wayne County Athletic League victory Friday night.

The win, coupled with Norwayne's loss at Smithville, gives Dalton (12-3, 9-1) some breathing room in its chase for its third WCAL title in the last four seasons. The Bulldogs are now two games in front of the Bobcats in the loss column, with Waynedale the other team with three league losses.

"The way we approached it is that we've got five championship games left, and now four," said Stutz, whose team overcame a 21-20 halftime deficit by outscoring the Huskies (8-8, 3-6) 23-16 in the pivotal third quarter. "Our margin of error was obviously trimmed down with our loss (last Friday to Waynedale), so it was a challenge the kids had to be willing to accept."

The cold winter night followed both teams into the gym for a first half that featured almost as many airballs as made baskets. Dalton was 7-of-24 from the field, while the Huskies were just 8-of-30, but still managed to grab their one-point lead on Tristan Weaverling's bucket with 35 seconds to play in the half.

But, while the Bulldogs would eventually find their aim -- making 10-of-17 field goals in the third period and 16-of-27 in the second half -- Northwestern never did. The Huskies were 8-of-28 in the second half, and their starting backcourt of Malachi Nolletti and Tyler Smith shot a combined 6-of-31, with Nolletti, averaging a team-high 17.3 points coming in, going 2-for-16 from the floor.

"I'll take the blame for us not being able to put together two halves," said a frustrated Northwestern coach Mark Alberts Jr. "We played really good defense, and I thought we should have been up six, seven or 10 points (in the first half). We prepared them on defense, but, obviously, not well enough on offense.

"When you struggle on offense, sometimes it leads to getting down on defense, but it didn't in the first half -- we kept our poise and confidence," he added. "In the second half, we struggled, and they scored. We couldn't keep pace."

Nolletti, who got into double figures (11 points) with a 7-of-8 showing at the foul line, hit two free throws to give Northwestern a 31-28 third-quarter advantage.

But the Bulldogs scored the next 10, as Chase Moyer drilled a 3-pointer to tie the game. Adam Metzger grabbed one of his eight rebounds and scored on the next trip down the floor, followed by a 3-pointer from the corner from Zach Ryder and a short jumper by Cody Huth that gave the Bulldogs points on six straight possessions and a 38-31 lead.

The Huskies got as close as three (40-37) on Drew Kline's basket, but Moyer's 3-pointer capped the third quarter for a 43-37 Dalton lead. Moyer's feed to Jake Gregory gave the Bulldogs their biggest lead, 47-37, two minutes into the fourth quarter, and after Northwestern made its last charge on back-to-back baskets from Nolletti and Smith and a pair of Smith free throws to close within five, Ryder made a great play in blocking a Smith layup attempt, and Moyer then dropped in a pair of pull-up jumpers in the lane, the second with 2:00 to play, and the Bulldogs were home free.

Moyer's night included three 3-pointers as he scored a team-high 17 points, while adding several sweet assists and 13 rebounds.

"Chase, he just makes plays," said Stutz, who had starting guard Jake Masters foul out and Clay Bowe, the team's second-leading scorer behind Moyer, limited by foul problems and score just five points.

"It was one of those scenarios where he rose to the occasion, especially with guys in foul trouble," Stutz added. "Honestly, we've come to expect that out of Chase. We probably take him for granted at times."

Ryder had 11 points for Dalton, while Metzger scored nine points to go with his eight rebounds. Kline nearly had a first-half double-double for Northwestern with nine points and 10 rebounds, and he finished with game-highs of 19 points and 16 boards.

Mike Plant can be reached at 330-287-1649 or mplant@the-daily-record.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MPlantTDR.